EN

Synonyms for fluff

  • noun
  • verb

Most common

fault faux pas goof gaffe marshmallow creme

Synonyms by meaning

Noun

1. Goof — A lapse or mistake, especially a mistake in an actor's lines

goof, error, boo-boo informal, faux pas, screw-up, blooper, mistake, slip, blunder, gaffe, bloomer, stumble, fault, trip, lapse, defect, solecism, slip-up, boner, howler, thinko slang, fuckup vulgar

2. Cruft — anything inconsequential or superficial

hype, all talk, cruft slang

3. Puff — anything light, soft or fuzzy, especially fur, hair, feathers

puff, fuzz, oose UK

4. Frivolity

frivolity, bagatelle, frippery

Other

ruffle, marshmallow creme, fuck-up, down, cloth diaper US CA, cloth nappy UK, schmoop slang dated

Verb

1. Flub

flub US AU NZ, ball up, mess up, blow, spoil, muck up informal, bobble, foul up, muff, louse up informal, bumble, botch, bungle, botch up informal, fumble, bollix, bolix US, mishandle, bodge, bollocks vulgar UK IE, bollocks up vulgar slang UK AU NZ, bollix up slang US, goof up slang

Other

tease, floof informal

Definitions

  1. n. 1

    Anything light, soft or fuzzy, especially fur, hair, feathers.

  2. n. 2

    Anything inconsequential or superficial.

    That article was basically a bunch of fluff. It didn't say anything substantive.

  3. n. 3

    A lapse or mistake, especially a mistake in an actor's lines.

  4. v. 1

    To make something fluffy.

    The cat fluffed its tail.

Related words

Word family
fluffball fluffiness fluffy fluffer
Phrases
fluff one's feathers bit of fluff fluff up ball of fluff fluff bunny marshmallow fluff fluff girl

Forms

Plural
fluffs → goofs, errors, boo-boos, screw-ups…
Past participle
fluffed
e.g. fluffed → flubbed, blown, spoilt, bobbled…

Example sentences

  • fault Tom's actions aren't my fault. Just remember that.
  • goof It's too easy for me to goof off when I'm at my computer.
  • gaffe He committed a gaffe when he asked whether she was pregnant.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
fluffrising
faultsteady
goofrising
gafferising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters
down1, trip1, blow1, slip1, hype1, puff1, fuzz1, goof1, muff1, flub, oose
5 letters
fault1, error2, spoil1, tease1, lapse1, boner2, gaffe1, botch1, floof, cruft, bodge, bolix
6 letters
defect2, fumble2, bumble2, ruffle2, bobble2, howler2, bungle2, fuckup, bollix, thinko
7 letters
mistake2, stumble2, blunder2, bloomer2, blooper2, schmoop
8 letters
bollocks2, frippery, solecism
9 letters
frivolity4, bagatelle, mishandle3

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (error2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
duvet
Italiano
lanugine
Español
plumón
Deutsch
Daune